Nats hire Davey Johnson

Hey folks, Ben here—back from a week-and-a-half vacation in Australia. Did I miss anything? :-)

Anyway, just a quick blog item: The Nats named Davey Johnson, veteran of four major-league managerial jobs and a stint with the 2008 U.S. Olympic team, senior advisor to the general manager this afternoon. The move had been rumored for a few days, and gives the Nats yet another veteran presence in Mike Rizzo’s remade front office.

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Johnson coached Stephen Strasburg in the Olympics last summer, and had remarked at one point to our Thom Loverro how impressed he was with the right-hander, while adding he’s not typically as effusive in his praise of pitchers as he was with Strasburg. He’s got a long track record working with both professional and amateur players, and fits well with Rizzo’s aim of assembling a reserve of veteran baseball people.